Electrically lighted implement holder



D. D. BRILL Feb. 20, 1968 ELECTRICALLY LIGHTED IMPLEMENT HOLDER Filed May 17, 1966 \wa wm HUME. W 4 QN r/ fizyara Z07 l7. DMdIiQyBTL'ZZ w JWsv fi m States Patent ()fifice 3,37%,163 Patented Feb. 20, 1968 3,370,163 ELECTRICALLY LIGHTED IMPLEMENT HGLDER David Dudley Brill, 830 Lalreshore Drive, Delray Beach, Fla. 33444 Filed May 17, 1966, Ser. No. 550,669 3 Claims. (Cl. 2406.46)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLQSURE An electrically lighted implement holder comprises a molded pliable member which is composed of a soft resilient material, such as a suitable resilient plastic, the pliable member being complementally formed to be grasped between the fingers and palm of a user. The pliable member includes an elongated deformable chamber which is readily deformable to receive and releasably support a flashlight. The pliable member also has another elongated deformable chamber which snugly grips and detachably supports an implement in proper visual alignment with the light pattern of the flashlight so that the light pattern is directed onto the work area of the implement.

The present invention relates to electrically lighted implement holders, and it has to do more particularly with a holder of the type specified having an improved arrangement for supporting the implement in proper visual alignment with the lighting means which preferably comprises a flashlight.

My improved holder is especially adapted for removably supporting an eating utensil such as a knife which must be capable of being applied to the holder and removed therefrom at will and without marring the surface of the knife. Known electrical lighting holders are so constructed and arranged as to require fastening devices which must be manipulated in applying the implement thereto and removing it therefrom. Such prior devices are not usable for my purpose in that they would tend to mar the knife or other piece of silverware in applying and removing the same from the holder. Also, the prior holders, if used in a dimly-lighted place such as a dimlylighted restaurant, would present substantial difficulty in actuating the fastening means, applying and removing the implement. The present invention provides a holder which avoids the foregoing objections pertaining to prior devices.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide an electrically lighted holder for an implement, such as a knife, which holder is so constructed and arranged that the knife or other implement may be inserted in, removed from and firmly held in the holder at will without the aid of a lighted environment, without the need to manipulate any fastening devices and without danger of marring the surface of the implement.

Another object is to provide a device of the foregoing characterwhich is readily adaptable to accommodate various sizes and shapes of implements such as various types of eating utensils, because the device must be adaptable for use with utensils that are commonly found in different restaurants for temporary use only and must be left in the possession of the restaurant.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the foregoing character which is of such a size that it may be conveniently and readily carried in ones pocket and used for observing menus in a darkened restaurant, programs in darkened theaters, and the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a holder of the foregoing character which is relatively light in weight, and has a simple and economical construction.

Briefly, the above objects are realized in accordance with the present invention by the provision of a molded pliable member which is constructed of a soft resilient material such as a suitable resilient plastic, the pliable member being complementally formed to be grasped between the fingers and palm of a user. The pliable member is constructed to provide an elongated deformable chamber which is readily deformable to receive and releasably engage a flashlight, which can be easily detached therefrom. The pilable member also has another elongated deformable chamber which frictionally and detachably engages an implement in such a manner that the implement is supported in proper visual alignment with the light pattern of the flashlight so that the light pattern is directed onto the work area of the implement. The pliable member is furthermore constructed to be manipulated within the palm and fingers of a user so that the electrical switch for the flashlight can easily be actuated to control the operation of the flashlight by a suitable pressure from the thumb or little finger of a user.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of an implement holder having a flashlight and an implement detachably mounted thereon in accordance with principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of the implement holder being grasped in the hand of a user and held in its normal working position so that a pattern of light is projected by the flashlight onto the working area of the implement;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the implement holder, which view is partially in cross-section to disclose the flashlight and the implement; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the implement holder of FIG. 3 taken substantially along the line 44 thereof.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, there is shown an electrically lighted implement holder generally indicated by reference character 10, consisting of a hand engageable means 11 having an elongated deformable chamber 12 as best illustrated in FIG. 3, and having an elongated deformable chamber 13 as best illustrated in FIG. 3. The elongated deformable chamber 12 receives and releasably engages a source of light such as a flashlight 14, and the elongated deformable chamber 13 frictionally and detachably engages an implement, for example, a table knife 16, in such a manner that the flashlight 14 is maintained and supported in a parallel spaced-apart disposition with respect to the knife 16 so that the flashlight illuminates the work area of the knife 16.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hand engageable means 11 may be constructed of a resilient material, suitably a soft pliable plastic, which may be readily molded into the form as shown. The hand engageable means 11 may be molded into a generally ellipsoidal shape and may be constructed from a plastic such as Vinyl," Nylon, polyethylene, polystyrene, rubber or synthetic rubber, or other suitable forms of plastic, which may be readily molded or extruded. The hand engageable means 11 is provided with a recessed portion 17 at one side thereof located near the front portion thereof which is readily engageable and deformable by the thumb of a user to cause an electrical switch 15 of the flashlight 14 to be actuated and thereby illuminate the work surface of the implement 16 Whenever desired.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hand engageable means 11 is complementally constructed to be readily manipulated between the fingers and palm of a hand 18 of a user. The

fingers of the hand 18 are curled about the hand engageable means 11 in a natural manner so that a thumb 19 of the hand 18 may easily manipulate the recessed area 17 to cause the switch 15 to be actuated, or alternatively, if the flashlight 14 is constructed with an actuating switch 21 located at the rear portion of the flashlight 14, then the actuating switch 21 is readily and naturally manipulated directly by the little finger 22 of the hand 13 for operation of the flashlight 14.

Upon actuation of the flashlight switch, a light pattern 23 is produced by the flashlight 14, which pattern is projected onto the work surface of the implement 16. The hand engageable means 11 is constructed to support the implement 16 in such a manner that the implement 16 is located in proper visual alignment with the light pattern 23 produced by the flashlight 14 so that the light pattern 23 illuminates the work surface of the implement 16 even though the work surface for the implement 16 may assume various different orientations and locations.

The hand engageable means 11 as illustrated in FIG. 2 is grasped in the right hand of the user, but the hand engageable means 11 may also be used in the left hand by merely maintaining the knife in the same orientation as illustrated, but rotating the hand engageable means 11 by 180 with respect to the knife so that the recessed portion 17 becomes disposed at the back side of the hand engageable means 11.

The electrically lighted implement holder may alternatively be provided with a durable shell-like casing, not shown in the drawing, which is grasped by the hand and into which is inserted a soft pliable member having the above-mentioned deformable chambers. In such an arrangement, the flashlight would then be activated by means of an electrical switch mounted at the rear end of the flashlight, such as the switch 21.

Referring now to FIG, 3, the deformable chamber 12 extends the entire length of the hand engageable means 11 and is cylindrical in form. Hence the flashlight 14 is confined within the chamber 12, which flashlight is a conventional dry cell flashlight having a pair of oppositely-disposed and detachable knurled end caps 24 threadably secured to a cylindrical central portion 26 at the front and rear portion thereof with a light bulb 25 mounted on the front end cap and with the switch mounted on the central portion 26 near the front hereof. The cross-sectional area of the central portion 26 closely conforms to the cross-sectional area of the chamber 12, and the oppositely-disposed knurled end caps 24 located outside of the chamber 12 prevent lateral movement of the flashlight 14 within the chamber 12. Upon insertion of the flashlight 14 into the chamber 12, either one of the end caps may be removed to enable the cylindrical central portion 26 to enter the chamber 12, and thence the removed end cap is replaced after the insertion of the central portion 26. The thumb-operated actuator switch 15 is complementally positioned within a deformable chamber 27, which chamber is integrally formed in the hand engageable means 11 and communicates with the chamber 12 for receiving and accommodating the thumbactuating switch 15. The hand engageable means 11 is sufliciently deformable to assist the entrance of the switch 15 into the chamber 27 upon insertion of the central portion 26 into the chamber 12. The deformable chamber 15 is locate-d contiguous to the recessed portion 17 so that the recessed portion 17 maybe deformed in response to pressure applied by the thumb of the user to collapse the chamber 27 about the thumb-actuating switch 15, thereby actuating the switch 15 for operation of the flashlight 14. The thumb-actuator switch 15 may be springbiased so that upon release of the pressure applied. to the recess 17, the spring-biased switch 15 is urged back toward its normal position, thereby causing the flashlight 14 to extinguish the light pattern 23. The deformable chamber 27 also returns to its normal shape due to the hand engageable means 11 for receiving the implement 16 from either the front or the rear opening to the chamber 13. The implement 16 is readily mounted into the position as shown in FIG. 3 by forcing the handle 23 of the implement 16 into the front opening of the chamber 13, which chamber is readily deformable due to the resilient composition of the hand engageable means 11, and thence slid toward the right into its final position, whereupon the chamber 13 frictionally engages the handle 28, wherein the handle 28 is contained within the chamber 13 and the blade portion 29 is entirely externally exposed therefrom. As a result of the soft resilient nature of the hand engageable means 11, the chamber 13 can readily accommodate various different sizes and shapes of handles of eating utensils and the like, while providing a means for mounting the utensil in an easy and eflicient manner without the necessity of a lighted environment. The implement 16 may also be urged into its mounted position by having the blade portion 29 of the implement 16 enter the rear opening to the chamber 13 and thence urging the implement 16 toward the left into its final position.

Referring to FIG. 4, the chamber 13 is formedby means of a pair of reversely curved and oppositely-disposed elongated projections 31 located at the top and bottom walls of the chamber 13 and integrally forms a part of the hand engageable means 11. The chamber 13 also has another pair of reversely curved oppositelydisposed elongated projections 32 at the left and right side of the chamber 13. These two pairs of oppositelydisposed projections engage the handle 28 at the top, bottom and two sides thereof.

While there has been described what is at'present considered to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein which are within the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hand engageable means adapted for use with a source of light and an implementcomprising:

a soft resilient member complementally formed to be grasped between the fingers and palm of a user,

said member having means defining a first elongated deformable chamber integrally formed in said member for releasably engaging said source and having means defining a second elongated deformable chamber integrally formed in said member for frictionally and detachably engaging the implement for supporting the implement in proper visual alignment with said 3 source so that the light emitted from said source is directed onto the work area of said implement, said means defining a first elongated deformable chamber further including means defining a third deformable chamber integrally formed in said member and communicating with said first chamber for accommodating a complementally formed electrical switch mounted on said source of light for operation thereof, said member further including means defining a re-- cessed portion complementally formed to cooperate with the thumb of a user and responsive to pressure from said thumb to collapse said third deformable chamber about said switch, thereby causing the activation of said switch; and

said means defining a second deformable chamber comprising a pair of reversely curved and oppositelydisposed elongated projections for receiving and supporting said implement therebetween.

2. A hand engageable means adapted for use with a flashlight and an implement comprising:

a soft resilient member complementally formed to be communicating with said first chamber for accomodating grasped between the fingers and palm of a user, a complementally formed electrical switch mounted on said member having means defining a first deformable said flashlight for operation thereof,

chamber integrally formed in said member for desaid member further including means defining a reforming a suflicient amount to receive said flashlight 5 cessed portion complementally formed to cooperate and for snugly gripping and supporting said flashlight, with the thumb of a user and responsive to pressure said member having means defining a second elongated from said thumb to collapse said third deformable deformable chamber integrally formed in said memchamber about said switch, thereby causing the acber for deforming a sufficient amount to receive the tivation of said switch.

implement and for snugly gripping and supporting 10 said implement in proper visual alignment with the References (Jilted light to be emitted from said flashlight so that the U I STATES PATENTS light emitted from said source is directed onto the work area of said implement a d Saunders said means defining said second chamber being sufii- 15 3,283,894 11/1966 Hafnfer et a1 206-165 ciently resilient and deformable to support various 3 1 5/ 1967 Landls -9 different kinds and sizes of implements. 3. A hand engageable means according to claim 2, NORTON ANSHER Prlmary Exammer' wherein said means defining a first elongated deformable JOHN M. HORAN, Examiner. chamber further including means defining a third de- 20 formable chamber integrally formed in said member and HOFFMAN Assistant Examiner" 

